Bee BLOG

​Remember the time when you stood in an elevator and the person walking in from another floor made eye contact with you? Said a low but precious “hi” or just acknowledged your presence somehow? It was cool, wasn’t it…

A few years ago, I was leaving work later one evening to go to ballet class. As I was waiting, I fetched my earphones to have my music ready for my commute. I actually try not to put my earphones on in the elevator out of respect for those around me but seeing that it was 7 pm, I figured there wouldn’t be anyone there. The elevator dings at its arrival, I step in and saw a gentleman standing there. Noticing my earphones the man commented on how the younger generation is always “connected”. What he did not know is that my music was not playing yet. The ONE time I decided to play my music in the elevator, I get busted AND judged for it, giving a bad name to my generation on top of it. It was for music, not candy crush, but I understand what it looks like from the outside. I of course immediately turned around, took my earpieces out and said smiling “not all of us ” to his surprise. Ever since then though, this further reinforced my habit of keeping my earphones out of sight so long as there are people around me in the elevator and on my way in and out of the work environment. Had this been the eighties, I would have had earphones and a chunky yellow Sony Walkman and the man would have made the same comment. He had a point though, must we always be connected?

By Giphy

Standing in the elevator my way down this week, I decided to pay attention to individuals walking in at each stop, as I usually do, but this time I noted who was looking up and who was looking down at their phone *crowd gasps in shock* Why would I conduct such an elaborate and scientific experiment you ask? I was curious to see how many of us make a conscious effort to have contact with others. And it IS a CONSCIOUS effort to battle the habit of automatically reaching for our phone to fill, what, one minute of an elevator ride with mindless phone browsing? We can hardly get a glance from anyone anymore. Someone actually saying hello seems to be a miraculous surviving breed of humans. Indeed, the social skills that were once presented during those few instants shared with strangers are slowly being pulverized by our attachment to our mobile phones. ​

Increasing efficiency at a cost...

By Giphy

This happens all the time of course. Those little in-between moments when we used to let our brain chill and relax while waiting to start the next task are now almost all occupied by, you know it, cell phone checking. When we stop to think of it, our phones are now computers that have the ability to take photos, share information and...oh yeah, make phone calls. With our lifestyle being that of speed, we try and stay productive each second of the day. Yet, the fact that smartphones offer the possibility to do more with them, especially checking social network sites, is what constitutes the instigation to addiction. Why? Because if those social networks (i.e. likes, comments) produce any kinds of positive feedback while we use them (which they do), that is what reinforces its use (James Robert, 2014).

According to Aric Suber-Jenkins in the What your smartphone addiction is doing to your brain article "Any entity that can produce a pleasurable sensation has the potential of becoming addictive”, quoting a study ran by James Robert, a marketing professor at Baylor University. Furthermore, Suber-Jenkins goes on to explains that according to the study, the features that are most commonly used on our cell phones - email, texting and social media – seem to activate the same neurological circuits that other more “traditional” addictions do. This seems alarming and yet, not surprising at all.

Alone time with our thoughts...

We find ourselves unconsciously searching for our cell phone to check emails pretty much anywhere and at any time. While it may be quite practical at times, this does reinforce a reflex to continuously verify the status of things on our smartphones or tablets to stay on top of things. This, in turn, goes on to essentially kill any innocently free moment we have to ourselves. Even a simple task like walking has become dangerously invaded by our mobile phones. All of these constant human-to-electronic device interactions leave us less time for human-to-human interactions. Our mobile phones activities are therefore unsurprisingly changing our cognitive reflexes and the manner in which we build and develop our relationships, and experts say this could even leave us with higher levels of social anxiety (Caglar Yildrim from Sandee LaMotte, 2017).

As if this wasn’t enough, technological advancements are actually fostering individuals to do more with their phone by asking us to cash cheques by phone, pay your milk and bread by phone, get your receipt by email, scan your plane ticket with your phone, scan your rebate coupon, etc. Once again, these are all very practical and paperless which is good for the environment (yaaay!) but while we are attempting to limit our phone usage, everything around us is encouraging us to use it. Get out of the way “FOMO” (Fear Of Missing Out) NoMophoBia is here! You read correctly, and this, of course, stands for “No Mobile Phone phoBIA”. Understandably a very common concept among us in 2018, mentions Sandee LaMotte (2017) in his article entitled “Smartphone addiction could be changing your brain”. In this piece the author reviews a variety of studies, though some using rather small study groups, revealing that the addictiveness of the smartphones could be hindering our ability to be attentive. In my opinion, this is a self-feeding cycle…

We are reinforced to use our cell phones by positive rewards like messages, likes, and comments which decrease our human interactivity in real time which consequently, in time, decreases our social abilities which then feeds the need to use our cell phones to fill the “awkward” moments we spend with strangers we don’t know how to interact with.

Tolerating, scratch that, enjoying the in-between moments of nothing

Luckily for previous generations, like mine, who grew up without these devices already possess a set of social skills (that did not include “filters”) and the awareness to catch ourselves in our habits and make an effort to control the use. The concern is for the later generations that may already be using these devices at a critical age where cognitive and social development occur. So, the psychology message behind this is to increase awareness of our phone usage from savage to normal and to not be afraid to take a break and slow down the pace. My way of doing so is to take back those peaceful moments when we are “in-between”: waiting for the bus or the metro, sitting in a lobby waiting for an appointment, waiting in line at the grocery store, walking home (ok I do have music then) and other moments like those to let my mind drift in a daydream and just bee… ;)

How about you? Do you find you are addicted to your smartphone or is it all good?

I got your attention with that title, didn’t I? This is quite a popular topic among bloggers, influencers and all other names you giveth thee. Considering the amount of information that is accessible on this topic, I thought it would be interesting to launch 2018 by exploring the behaviours around content creators. January and February can be a little slow while we are hanging in the winter vortex and many of us writers can be asking ourselves: what should I write about?

But first, what is content creation?

Put very simply, content creation is the act of, well, creating content. Pretty much what I am doing at the moment: writing about something, expressing thoughts targeting a certain audience. Content creation can also be photography, video montages and other types of format.

Back to the initial question: what should I write about?

Myself? I could write for days. In the world of me, a blank page is stimulating, like a blank canvas, it means possibilities. Why I have the stories in my head right now. The challenge is: will what I write be engaging? Will my content be informative? Because let’s face it, the motivation to write and share is usually to engage and inform, to inspire and transform one word at a time. That being said, even though we may have billions of ideas percolating in our head, it doesn’t mean that any of them will be a pertinent topic for the target audience. What would give our own content significant traction? What behaviours revolve around successful content creators? Since I am no content creator expert, I am in no position to give advice here. However, as a career counsellor expert, I have spotted a few psychological truths and behavioural tendencies that can explain part of the success these folks have. These are hardly secrets but I still think they should be explained and reviewed as it can take the pressure off and perhaps also engage and inspire? ;)

Source cred: Giphy

Content creators have a team. Don’t be fooled by the solo act. A behavioural tendency that these individuals have in common is that they are highly self-aware. They know their strengths and accept what their weaker links are and therefore, are not shy to invest in the proper tools they require to achieve their goals. Most online content creators that do well have a team assisting them in developing and maintaining their brand. An “entourage” if you will, of specialists like a glam squad for hair and makeup, photographers and touch up artists that will analyze every inch of those photos (...then again Botox, lip injection and teeth whitening frenzy are still very much present but between that and filters who can tell anymore?). Also, don’t go thinking all of those professional photos, videos, websites, logos, and more have magically appeared. There are graphic designers, advisors, “photoshopers” and more that are once again part of the team. Even if the creator is a photographer, for example, he or she will still need to take time to sort and edit. While they are doing all that, less time can be spent on generating more content. Which leads me to my next point...is all this time allocated to inventing material actually getting remuneration? That depends.

Is the content creator doing it to make a living out of it or just for the free props and events?

Source cred: Giphy

CEO of Media Shower, John Hargrave says: “Online content creators get paid far less than they are worth”. How true this is, at least for individuals starting out on their own and not creating content for an already existing business or company. Many are extremely talented and work through blood, sweat and tears at generating and editing posts, videos, texts but not a penny will roll in if there is no product or service to be sold. Apart from getting visibility through sponsors or YouTube Ads (and you will need a lot of those), as Hargrave explains in his article, there needs to be a business to sell or a second income. So what are the psychological or behavioural tendencies here? Prosperous online content creators are true social butterflies and have harnessed a solid network foundation long before launching social media channels. This audience ensures followership and increases business. Guess what, 80% of all employment opportunities are in the hidden market. Those precious contacts enable them to stay in the know of upcoming tendencies and new business opportunities.

Source cred: Giphy

Successful content creators are excellent communicators. They shine under the spotlight and have a natural talent for the written word and/or are very well spoken. They possess a clear vision as to where they want to take their followers and will do so with wittiness and a great sense of humour. The power to convince is a strong force but one has to be convinced to be convincing. Keeping it authentic is key. Their vision is what keeps them motivated and of course motivation fuels perseverance to achieve.

I have found that for most of the popular online content creators, education does not seem to have an impact on their credibility. At first glance, experience, name dropping, and followership are what define credentials. While I am certainly not saying content creators are uneducated, far from it actually. Degrees just don't appear to be a sought out thing in the "about/bio" section. This movement is quite interesting to some extent as entrepreneurial efforts and supporters are placed forward. There exists a vibe of encouragement, of boldness and excitement in launching one's brand online. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have definitely evolved with their members and cultivated an even stronger adherence by creating business profiles. Allowing sellers and shoppers to coexist in a productive harmony.

On the other hand, the purchasing client should obviously be concerned if the individual is selling personal “counselling”. While there are many schools of thought, the individual should be a member of the appropriate professional association ensuring proper practice and that a certain code of ethics is being respected. That’s my career counsellor hat talking here ;)

Source cred: Giphy

In hopes that this article was informative and inspiring, these were my simple observations on what behaviours successfully shape content creation.What bloggers do you prefer most? What makes you read an article? What IGers do you find inspiring and why?I’d love to hear your thoughts/comments.Bee writing x

Coffee, cookie & the bee!

Author

My name is Ivana. I love photography and meeting people. I hold a Master's in counselling psychology and work as a career consultant. Music is my fuel and an important source of energy in my life. I drive my vespa around the city and I love what I do! :) About this blog: me on my artistic soap box!